Yesterday (26/10) Nathan Waugh and I showed a British couple
(Dan and Kate) around the Barren Grounds area in search of
their wanted to see Ground Parrot.
We started off in Barren Grounds Nature Reserve where we
walked the northern side of Griffiths trail up to Saddleback
Trig. Birds of interest recorded along this 2km section
included:
Brush Cuckoo (2 calling)
Eastern Bristlebird (more than 10 heard, at least 4-5 seen),
Southern Emu-wren (1 male, others heard)
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren (1 seen)
Large-billed Scrubwren (foraging in heath close to
escarpment)
Pilotbird (quite a few calling)
Gang-Gang Cockatoo (15 feeding)
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo (30, drinking from the many
puddles on the track)
Peregrine Falcon (1, flew around us when we imitated its
call)
Wedge-tailed Eagle (1)
Whistling Kite (1)
Reptiles:
Southern Water Skink (Eulamprus heatwolei, 15)
Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii, 1)
Three-lined Skink (Pseudomoia duperreyi, 1-2)
Mammals:
1 Echidna
We then headed off to the Budderoo Firetrail (Budderoo NP)
to search for Ground Parrots at a site where we have never
missed them. In this patch of heath we found:
Ground Parrot (1, viewed very well by all as it flew for 80m
before disappearing into the heath)
Eastern Bristlebird (1)
Southern Emu-wren (10+)
Channel-billed Cuckoo (1 flying overhead, calling)
Topknot Pigeon (a flock flying high comprising of 45
individuals)
After finally finding Ground Parrot (and getting very wet
shoes) we decided to head back to coast. Not far from the
lookout between Budderroo firetrail and Barren Ground NR we
observed a grey morph Grey Goshawk perched in a small
eucalypt in the heath, giving the British birders their 8th
lifer of the day.
A quick stop at Wingdang estuary (Wollongong) in the late
afternoon produced 8 Common Greenshanks with some of the
more common waders.
A very interesting days birding in the Illawarra.
Nigel Jackett
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